Cocktail Week is about tasting our way all the creative concoctions that the combined creativity of our bartenders dreamed up. How often does one have a such a perfect excuse to go drinking for an entire week?
Obviously, I couldn’t let such an unbelievable opportunity pass by just like that; so after the opening event, I had to go bar hopping.
To kick things off, I had the most wonderful cocktail at one of my favourite bars: Anti:Dote.
It’s called the Becherovka Swizzle. Becherovka is a rusty-red Czech liqueur that tastes like a mixture of about 20 different spices, dominated by cinnamon and clove flavours. Despite it being the first time I have tasted Becherovka, I wasn’t put off by its somewhat exotic flavour thanks to the consummate skill of Anti:dote’s bartender Tom. The cocktail was more bitter than sweet, with the herbal taste working in harmony with the lemon, honey and mint to create a balanced and refreshing drink. A pity that it’s only available for Cocktail Week.
I also checked out Operation Dagger, which is cunningly hidden in a basement off Ann Siang Hill; a great chance to cloak team mate Vanessa in my looming, ominous shadow.
Don’t be put off by Operation Dagger’s somewhat sinister initial appearance, though. It’s a pretty sight indeed once you get inside. It combines modern industrial chic with Scandinavian minimalism and tops it off with a dollop of lightbulb-filled whimsy.
The first special I tried was Rocks and Rye. It looks reminiscent of an Old Fashioned; orange liquid, large rock of ice, so you could be forgiven for thinking that it has the sweet-smoky taste as well. I did, and I was wrong. It tastes nothing like what I expected.
When I took my first sip, I thought it was Sambuca; the licorice taste of Star Anise was so strong it was somewhat overpowering. I checked the ingredients list- apparently it has saffron, apricot and cinnamon in it as well, but I could only really taste (and smell) the Anise. It wasn’t a bad drink, by any means; I finished it, after all. It was just disappointing that it could have been so much more with a bit of added depth and subtlety.
My second cocktail, Snow, quickly won me back though.
Made with yuzu, yogurt liqueur and genmai tea, it was a much lighter counterpoint to the Rock and Rye. I enjoyed it immensely the creamy yogurt with citrus notes is a winner in my book, and the genmai adds a very slight woody, roasted edge to an otherwise light drink.
The icing on the cake (or should I say topping on the cocktail) is the white chocolate “bowl” filled with yuzu yogurt balls floating on the drink. I was told to chomp it down all at once to finish off the drink. I must admit, it is a novel touch that really adds a special something to an already good cocktail. The melting chocolate and the yogurt went down so well that I was of a mind to order another.
Alas, it was not to be though, since the journey had to continue someplace else.
The new bar concepts really amaze me. So much creativity and thought has gone into them that they defy all expectations. Ding Dong was a bar hidden on the second level of a shophouse, which also happens to be a Chinese restaurant!
On second thought, while we’re at a restaurant, why not grab a bite?
Or two bites, perhaps?
The roasted duck dumplings were succulent. The shittake mushroom and duck consomme sauce gravy was just bold enough to make its presence known, yet light enough to not take away any of the texture of the dumplings. The Vietnamese scotch eggs were really tasty. Full of the minced meat and herbal flavours familiar to fans of Vietnamese cuisine, it came with a thai-style chilli sauce that brought out the succulence of the meat.
A welcome treat indeed for a bunch of hungry bar-hoppers. I didn’t forget what I was here for, though.
My final drink of Cocktail Week was the Ding Dong Sour.
Tea infused whiskey with citrus and gomme (gum arabic based syrup), this take on the classic Whisky Sour it reminded me a lot of the Thai Iced teas with its slightly spiced, balanced flavour and smooth texture. It brought my thoughts to South East Asia and the wonderful, spicy food (and drink) we have here.
And with, that my Cocktail Week experience came to an end. Overall, I’d say that it was a roaring success. I got to try so many drinks, learn a great deal and had a lot of fun exploring the bars of Singapore. On the cheap, no less. I’d definitely sign up for round 2 next year.
In the meantime, I’ll definitely be going back to some of these bars again. Look out for full reviews in time to come!
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